“Credit unions pursuing new technology platforms often approach the negotiating table stripped of the necessary tools to succeed,” said Samaha. “My intention, and that of our team, is to present credit unions with valuable lessons, and the appropriate tools, required to broker progressive technological platforms.”

Highlights of the paper include Samaha’s proven approach to underscoring the search and selection process of a vendor and operating system commences, a multi-tiered process including discovery process, negotiation, agreement, implementation, and conversion.

“Without proper due diligence, oversights on behalf of the credit union often result in costly after-conversion upgrades and maintenance,” said Samaha Associates Vice President and Senior Consultant Linda Pettit. “In the final analysis, the negotiation of an expensive, multi-purposed contract is designed to facilitate the needs of a credit union and its members, which is the purpose of this paper.”